Valve lifter



. ing drawings,

Patented June 15, 1926.

UNITED STATES a. JOSEPH SUNNEN; OF ST. LOS, MISSOURI.

VALVE LIFTER.

Application led October 7, 1924. Serial No. 742,241.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in valve liftersfor engines and the objects of the invention are to provide a valvelifter which is simple and 5 eiiirientand can be'easily and quicklyoperate Further objects of provide a valvelifterv lever which islquick-acting and 1,0 quire much power to'spread the jaws of the valvelifter.

Still further objects of the invention are to provide simple means forlocking the lifter in open or extended position.

With these and other objects in view, .my invention consists in certainnovel features of construction and arrangement of parts, hereinaftervmore fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanyinwhich A Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the valve lifter showingthe jaws thereof in contracted position in readiness to be insertedbetween thel spring and the seat thereof.

Fi re 2 is a vertical cross section taken longitudinally through thevalve lifter and showing the same in extended position.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a vertical cross section taken on line 4-4 of Figure 2. A

yFigure 5 is a perspective detail view of the locking member.

The present invention contemplates a `valve lifter having a pair of jawmembers pivotally connectedv and designed to have its jaws engage thelower end of the valve spring and the seat thereof, whereby by operatingsaid valve lifter said spring may be compressed and displaced from itsseat. These jaw members are operated by a lever fulcrumed in one of themembers and havthe invention are to havlng an operating ing a linkconnection with the other memberand said lever is adapted to be lockedin its depressed or operating position by a suitable locking memberwhich is movably arranged on said device.

Referring by ing drawings, 10 indicates a stationary jaw member havingjaws 11, and 12'indicates an lupper or movable jaw member having jaws14. Member 10 is preferabl formed of a single piece of bar of suita lewidth and thickness bent to provide two parallel portions 15 united at16 and having their ends does not rei has its vportions 15 and terminatein inwardly bent jaw members .in numerals to theaccompany-y properlyshaped to form jaws 11. Member 12 is similarly formed having parallelportions 17 which are bent near their ends laterally in order to spacejaws 14 from each other. Each jaw 14 is formed with a longitudinally andinwardly presented flange 14 which serves as a support for receiving .awasher or lower end of the valve spring.

Member 12 has its rear end pivotally connected to member y10 by a pin18, said pivotal connection being spaced a suitable distance from, therear end of member 10 in order to provide a handle 10a. A lever 19 ispivotally secured at 20 to member 10 and forward` end 19a connected by alink 21 to the forward end of member 12, said link beingpivotallyconnectedl to the latter by a pin 22. The rear end of said lever extendsrearwardly a suitable distance and terminates in a handle 24 which isdesigned to cooperate with handle 1()a of member 10. Lever 19 isdisposed between the parallel portions 15 of member 10 and portions 17of member 12 and is suitably .shaped so as .to bring handle 24 in properrelation to handle 10a whereby they may be conveniently grasped in onehand.

A locking member 25 is slidably positioned on parallel portions 15between the pivotal points 18 and 20 and said member comprises atransversely disposed portion 26 which lies on the upper edges of saidportions and legs 27 which extend downwardly adjacent to the outerIsides of said 00 lips or extensions 28 which extend under the bottomedges of said portions and serve to maintain said locking member inposition. l

A tail piece 29 is formed'integral with top portion 26 and 4extendsrearwardly therefrom and is adapted when said lever 19 is depressed andsaid member 25 is shifted rearwardly to'engage the upper edge of therear end of said lever and lock the latter in depressed position,thereby retaining the their extended positions as shown in Figure 2. Theinwardly presented portions 28 extend only a short. distance inwardly soas not to interfere with the oper- 1( ation of lever 19.

Jaws 11 of member 10 are adjustable laterally by a screw 30 whichextends through portions 15 of member 10 and receives .a nut 31. Byturning this nut in the proper l i contracted in lateral direction.

64 provided for that portion'.

-mg member slidably positioned expanded or The jaws 14 of member 12 areadjustable in a similar manner by means of a screw 32 'and a nut This.adjustment of thejaws in lateral direction is necessary in view of thefact that .the valve springs of various makes of engines .vary in theirdiameters, consequently requiring the jaws to be adjusted accordingly.

Locking member 25 is placed on jaw member 10 before the device isassembled together and is held from displacement on the completed valvelifter by the pivotal mountings 18 and .20. The jaw membersI arepreferably formed of single pieces of direction the jaws 11 can bematerial bent to bring the ends of each`v yjaw piece forwardly to formthe jaws. This construction not only provides a strong and durable valvellifter but enables the `manu facture of valve lifters in an economicalmanner by permitting the same to be manufactured out of commercial stockwithout requiring a great amount of machine-work or labor.

While I havevshown and described the preferred form of my valve lifter,it., will be readily understood that minor changes in the constructionand arrangement of parts may be made and substituted, without departingfrom the scope of my invention.

I claim:-

1. A valve lifter comprising a pair of pivotally connected jaw members,a lever pivotally connected to one of said jaw members at a pointintermediatel its ends for actuating said jaw members, and a memberslidably mounted on one of said jaw members and engageable by said leverto enter into locking engagement with said v jaw member, thereby lockingsaid jaws in extended positions.

2. A valve lifter comprising a pair of pivotally connected jaw members,a lever pivotally connected intermediate its ends t3 one of Said membersand having one end connected to the other jaw members for actuating Saidjaw members, and a locking member slidably mounted on one of said jawmembers and adapted when engaged 'by said lever to be wedged againstsaid jaw member p and held against displacement, thereby locking saidjaw members in operative ositions.

3. valve lifter comprising a pair of pivotally connectedjaw members, alever foractuating said jaw members, and a lockon one of said jawmembers and engageable by said lever for wedging engagement with saidjaw member, thereby locking saidl lever.

4. A valve lifter comprising a pair of pivotally connected jaw members,a lever peivotally mounted on one of said jaw memrs and in engagementwith the other member for moving the latter into extended position, anda locking member slidably mounted on one of said jaw members and movableinto engagement with said lever, thereby frictionally interengaging saidlocking member'with said'jaw member and retaining said lever in actuatedposition.

5. A valve lifter comprising a pair of pivotally connected jaw members,a lever pivotally mounted on one of said jaw members and in engagementwith the other member, the last-mentioned member into extended position,and a vlocking member slidably mounted on one of said jaw members andadapted to engage said lever whereby the pressure exerted by said leveragainst said locking member produces wedging engagement ibetween thelatter and said jaw membe'r and locks said jaw members in extendedrelation.

6. A valve lifter comprising a pair of pivotally connected jaw members,a lever pivotally mounted on one of said jaw members, a link pivotallyconnecting one end of said lever with the other oneof said jaw members,and a locking member movably positioned on one of said jaw members andengageable at one end by the edge of said lever, thereby bringing theother end of said vlocking member in frictional engagement with the edgeof the jaw member on which it is positioned, thus locking the jaws invalve spring engaging position.

7. A valve lifter comprising a stationary jaw member provided with ahandle, a movable jaw member fulcrumed on the first jaw member, and alever pivotally mounted intermediate its ends to said stationary jawmember and connected at its forward end to said movable jawv member foroperating the same, the opposite end of said lever forming a handle forcooperating with the handle ofthe stationary jaw member. i 8. A valvelifter comprising a stationary,v jaw member provided able jaw memberfulcrumed on the iirst jaw member, a lever pivotally mounted in saidstationary jaw member and connected at one end to said movable jawmember for oper'- ating the same, the opposite end of said lever forminga handle for Icooperating with the handle of the stationaryjaw mein ber,and a member slidably arranged on said stationary jaw member and movablelever for locking said lever being adapted to move with a handle, `amovlever forming a handle for cooperating with 10 ating the same, theopposite the handle of the stationary jaw member,

and means for adjusting the jaws of each jaw member in lateraldirection.

1 0. A valve lifter comprising a stationary jaw member provided with ahandle, a movable jaw member fulcrumed on the first jaw member, a leverpivotally mounted in said stationarv jaw member and connected at one endto said movable jaw member for operend of said lever forming a handlefor cooperating with the handle of the Stationary jaw member, means foradjustin the jaws of each jaw member in lateral irection, and a lockingmember slidably arranged on said stationary l5 member for locking thejaw' members in extended position.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aix my signature this 3rd day ofOctober, 1924.

, JOSEPH SUNNEN.

